MOSCOW, May 1. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to the inadmissibility of Washington’s intervention in Venezuela’s domestic affairs, where the opposition had tried to seize power, in a conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
"The situation in Venezuela, where the opposition had tried to seize power with obvious support from the US the previous day, was in the focus of attention," the ministry noted. "The Russian side stressed that Washington’s intervention in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state and threats against its administration are the rudest violation of international law".
"It was noted that the continuation of aggressive steps will have the most drastic consequences," the Foreign Ministry reported. It reiterated that only the Venezuelan people have the right to determine their fate, so that the dialogue of all political forces in the country, for which its government has been calling for a long time, is highly demanded. "A destructive outside influence, all the more a political one, has nothing in common with a democratic process," the ministry stressed.
The telephone conversation was held at the American side’s initiative.
Caracas and other Venezuelan cities saw anti-governmental demonstrations that started after a group of soldiers had supported opposition leader Juan Guaido. He tweeted a video address several hours before in which he called on the servicemen to take to streets to "end usurpation" of the government. Venezuelan Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez reported later that the authorities had partially suppressed the attempt of the opposition, which was supported by a small military group, to undermine peace in the country.